On the Second Sunday of Lent we always hear about the transfiguration of Jesus in the gospel. This glimpse of glory happens with Jesus’ close circle of friends — Peter, James, and John.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (n. 568) has a crisp summary of the meaning of this event: “Christ’s Transfiguration aims at strengthening the apostles’ faith in anticipation of his Passion: the ascent onto the ‘high mountain’ prepares for the ascent to Calvary. Christ, Head of the Church, manifests what his Body contains and radiates in the sacraments: ‘the hope of glory.'”
The Preface to the Eucharistic Prayer today states: “For after he had told the disciples of his coming death on the holy mountain he manifested to them his glory, to show, even by the testimony of the law and the prophets, that the Passion leads to the glory of the Resurrection.”
We ponder this gospel scene as we prepare to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus during the Easter Triduum. It is a way of giving us a glimpse of glory early in the Lenten season as we experience our Lenten sacrifices of prayer, fasting, and works of charity. Let the radiance of the Risen Christ guide you during your Lenten practices.